Parsons to the Pack and takeaways from Wentz, Brosmer, Thielen and Vikings brass

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By Matthew Coller

EAGAN — The Minnesota Vikings held press conferences for Carson Wentz, Max Brosmer, Adam Thielen, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell and there was plenty to discuss from those availabilities but the Vikings were knocked off the front page around 4 PM when the Green Bay Packers made the biggest move of the offseason by trading two first-round picks and DT Kenny Clark for superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons. Green Bay also signed Parsons to a four-year contract extension worth $188 million and $136 million guaranteed.

Five takes on the Packers-Parsons trade:

1 — The NFC North just got even tougher

The biggest issue with the Packers prior to the Parsons trade is that they were lacking A+ talent. They had a lot of players on the roster who were solid starters but hadn’t risen to the All-Pro level i.e. Rashan Gary, Edgerrin Cooper, Xavier McKinney, Zach Tom, Jayden Reed etc. Now that Parsons is in the mix, they have that dude.

Parsons has the capability to raise all boats on a defense that ranked sixth in points allowed last season. The Pack were already in the top 10 in sacks and they gave away a player in Clark who only had 1.0 sacks last year.

The Vikings spent the most money in the NFL this offseason to build their roster for this moment. Now their trek through the NFC North will be even tougher.

The team that might be the most unhappy is the Detroit Lions, whose offensive line is revamped this year after losing center Frank Ragnow and guard Kevin Zeitler this offseason. They also have a new offensive coordinator who will have to gameplan for Parsons.

If Caleb Williams is improved when it comes to getting rid of the football, he’s really going to have to prove it against Green Bay now.

There aren’t many players outside of the QB position whose acquisition that could rattle an entire division but the Packers’ chances to win the division went up on Thursday.

2 — Parsons is as good as advertised

In 2023, Parsons led the NFL with 103 QB pressures and last year he still managed 70 despite playing only 697 snaps.

Here’s another telling stat about Parsons’ talent: Since 2000, only JJ Watt and DeMarcus Ware registered more sacks in the first four years of their careers than Parsons’ 52.5 sacks. He’s just ahead of Dwight Freeney, TJ Watt and Von Miller on that list.

Parsons is fit for the dynamic Green Bay D. Two years ago, he lined up over 100 times in a traditional linebacker position and split his outside linebacker reps between the right and left side. When he was a rookie, Parsons even dropped back in coverage on 284 plays. He can do just about anything the Pack ask of him.

3 — That’s a lot of money

Paying Jordan Love $50 million per year and Parsons $47 million per year is going to be difficult for the Packers to work around, even if Netflix and YouTube buy more TV rights in the coming years. It’s hard enough to work around an expensive QB contract without also having the most expensive defensive player on the same team.

For 2025, no big deal. Going forward? The Packers have to hit on their younger/cheaper players in the future otherwise they are going to end up like the Cowboys or 49ers who have expensive star talents and not much else. In 2026, the Packers have quite a few veterans scheduled to make significant money, including Rashan Gary ($28 million), Xavier McKinney ($19 million), Elgton Jenkins ($25 million), Aaron Banks ($24 million) and Nate Hobbs ($13 million).

How will they make all of that work without major cap maneuvers or moving on from some of those players?

It feels like the Parsons trade is an all-in move for this year and they’ll hope to figure out the rest later. The exact structure of the deal has not been reported. It will be very interesting to see how the $47 million per year is spread out.

4 — The Vikings have more answers for Parsons than in the past

Remember all those moves that the Vikings made in March and April to rebuild the interior of the offensive line and improve the running game? Those are feeling pretty important right now. Since the Packers defense is likely to use Parsons in different types of rushes with stunts and blitzes, center Ryan Kelly will be vital to sorting out the Packers’ looks.

If there is one way to deal with Parsons, it’s running the ball. He has been an incredible pass rusher but just OK versus the run during his career. Last year he ranked 36th among starting edge rushers in run defense grade. Acquiring physical run blocker Will Fries, athletic guard Donovan Jackson and beastly tackle breaker Jordan Mason could come in handy when trying to keep JJ McCarthy from Parsons’ grasp.

5 — The Vikings are gonna have to earn it

Remember in 2022 when the Vikings ran away with a putrid NFC North? Those days are long gone. Every team has made its case this offseason for being one of the best clubs in the NFC and if the Vikings are going to compete for a Super Bowl then they are going to have to get to the playoffs after a season’s worth of battles against the best of the conference.

That’s what they spent all this money for, right? And if they make it through this group of division opponents, they will be as battle-tested as anybody going into the postseason.

Let’s play some football.

Carson Wentz is here to help

The veteran quarterback who signed with the Vikings earlier this week has been a starter on several teams throughout his career but has settled into a backup role over the last two seasons with Los Angeles and Kansas City. Now he is going to be tasked with helping guide first-year starter JJ McCarthy through his debut season.

“Seems like a guy who’s going to come in and work hard and I’m excited to help him however I can,” Wentz said on Thursday. “We were talking this morning, he’s still a kid. He’s 22 years old. When I was 22 I think I was gearing up to play for the [North Dakota State] Bison. He’s got a lot of new [things] going on for him but excited to see him step into that and be the guy.”

How can he help McCarthy most? Probably with just his experience and knowledge.

“I think it comes with feeling out his personality and what he needs, he hasn’t even prepped in the NFL for a game week yet,” Wentz said. “Yesterday we were talking about what’s a normal routine… I think he’s very receptive to ideas and we’re going to work together on that.”

For a quarterback with Wentz’s resume as a starter, it’s always worth wondering whether they are willing to take on the type of backup duties that are required. Wentz said that he wants to contribute in any area that he’s asked.

“Willingness to serve, however that looks,” Wentz said. “Whether that’s staying after to help a guy or doing extra cut-ups or watching extra film…on the field and off the field. For QB1 there’s a lot of pressure on and off the field and I’m trying to help however I can. I think that’s the nature of the job.”

Making Wentz’s transition easier is the fact that he arrives in Minnesota to find a familiar face in the Vikings’ quarterback room: QBs coach Josh McCown, who backed him up in 2019 with Philadelphia.

“Pretty interesting how it works out seeing Josh back me up in 2019 and now working together with him, I’ve been in his office every day grilling him…he’s been super helpful, just like he was in Philly,” Wentz said. “He truly understands the quarterback position as good as anybody, not only the X’s and O’s but the mindset, the thought process, the pressures, all the things we go through as quarterbacks. Having a guy like that leading the room is huge.”

During Kevin O’Connell’s press conference, he talked about why he felt that Wentz was an ideal option as QB2.

“I think he's really smart,” O’Connell said. “The physical presence of a guy that big and strong. And that applies to how he's played and had success in this league…his ability to come in and pick up things quickly, apply some of his previous things he either knew from other systems, or just his ability to pick things up quickly is a huge bonus. And then I think the experience of a guy that you know was drafted high and had a lot of success throughout his career. That bodes really well for JJ and Max in that room.”

For Max Brosmer, this is just the beginning

On the same day that the Gophers opened their 2025 season, the former Gopher QB was inside TCO Performance Center talking about how he made the Minnesota Vikings’ roster. Brosmer said that he FaceTimed his parents, brother, girlfriend and dogs to tell them the news and then it was time to go focus on succeeding in the NFL.

“I was like, ‘hey guys, I gotta go back to work and earn it every single day,” Brosmer said.

The rookie quarterback seemed to connect with O’Connell’s offense from the start of minicamp, prompting the head coach to note that he was picking things up quicker than most young QBs that he had seen. Why did Brosmer click so well with KOC’s offense? For him, it was about the work he put in.

“Honestly I haven’t been as physically gifted as some other people in this profession and I think when you are on the shorter end of that stick you have to outwork people mentally,” Brosmer said.

As far as his role this season as he continues to develop behind McCarthy and Wentz, Brosmer said: “I just want to be able to help my room out as best as possible and find little things that may help JJ or Carson succeed at the highest level. Ultimately it’s about winning football games and providing value.”

O’Connell explained what he saw from Brosmer that led him to stick on the 53.

“From Day 1, it was obvious his capacity mentally,” O’Connell said. “And then how he could apply some of the techniques and fundamentals that we were training and coaching to productive reps in a very short amount of time and then he was able to carry that over this training camp.”

In the preseason, Brosmer completed 60.3% of his passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns with a 72.8 PFF grade. Considering he was playing with mostly player who didn’t make the team, those numbers were impressive to the head coach.

“It wasn't always perfect, it wasn't always real clean around him…but he found a way to move the team, he found a way to make a throw, he found a way to apply the principles at the position that we deemed to be pretty positive,” O’Connell said. “And I think Max is one of the hardest working guys, young guys that I've been around.”

Adam Thielen’s history with KOC, McCarthy will be vital

While it has been a couple years since Adam Thielen put on a purple uniform, he didn’t lose touch with O’Connell. The head coach explained that they have been in contact since he was released following the 2022 season and signed with the Carolina Panthers.

“You don't ever forget the impact [of the relationship] like I had with Adam Thielen,” O’Connell said. “There's so many things about him. It's his energy every day. We felt it yesterday as soon as he arrived. It's his love of football. It's his love of his journey. What his journey specifically means to our organization. And I know how much he means to our fans, and I know how much he's going to mean to our football team.”

Thielen said that he was aware of the possibility of getting traded back to Minnesota but wasn’t sure if it was actually going to happen. He was sitting in the hot tub in the Panthers facility preparing for practice when he got the news that he was returning to the Vikings. When he was given the news, he was excited to be back with O’Connell.

“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t excited,” Thielen said. “He’s unbelievable. I got to spend a season with him and really get to understand who he is and how he calls plays. Just his confidence, that stuff rubs off on the team. His confidence in the plays and the players and how he can help guys do what they are really good at.”

Thielen does return to a new quarterback in JJ McCarthy but the pairing won’t be learning each other’s tendencies for the first time. The veteran wide receiver worked out with the Vikings’ QB1 in the summer. He talked about his observations from catching passes from McCarthy.

“Crazy to look at that because when we were working out together there was no thought of every actually playing together,” Thielen said. “At the time I just had so much respect for how he approaches the game, even in teh summer months when you don’t have to do those things. His work ethic, his mindset, his communication of how he’s doing things.”

Thielen explained that McCarthy would go into detail with him on routes and concepts even though they were just throwing routes on air.

“He approached it from, ‘this is what I’m thinking, this is the route and this is why we have this in our system,’ it’s cool to see that approach from a young guy,” Thielen said.

All of the hours built up with O’Connell and McCarthy made Thielen the best choice to fit the Vikings’ needs because he is preparing for Week 1 in a matter of two weeks after spending the last two years elsewhere. It would be very difficult for another receiver with no experience with the Vikings to step in and make an impact right away.

Where does Thielen fit in after Addison returns?